Descent from the Cross

Albrecht von Horn

Augsburg, 1625/30

Silver, parcel-gilt, ebony

52,5 x 43,5 x 10,0 cm

Inv.-Nr. 92/46

Given by the Freundeskreis des Bayerischen Nationalmuseums in 1992

Gallery 31

Albrecht von Horn, a distinguished Augsburg goldsmith, specialised in domestic altars used for private devotion, either in an oratory or a bedroom. Cast in silver, this extremely subtle rendering of a multiple-figure deposition derives from a widely-circulated composition by Michelangelo. The chief feature of this superb example of the goldsmith's art is the delicate pouncing of the gilt background to create a view of Jerusalem. The picture changes in appearance according to the fall of light. The frame is finely pounced using the same pointillé technique with representations of the instruments of torture used at the Passion.